Murder Crosses Tribal Lines
Since I’m finally diving into Tony Hillerman’s books, I was anxious to get back to his series and see just how it develops. Dance Hall of the Dead is his third novel and the second in his most popular series. And it’s a decent mystery.
This book returns us to the Navajo reservation in early December. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, who works for the Navajo Tribal Police, has been called to work on a case involving two missing boys. There is a huge pool of blood at the last place they were seen. One of them, a Navajo, was seen the next morning and is wanted as a witness, although some suspect he might be the killer. The other is a Zuni youth, and that just complicates the case for Leaphorn since that tribe has their own police department.
As Leaphorn investigates further, he finds many things that just don’t add up for him. Can he make sense of it, find the missing boys, and catch a killer before the killer strikes again?
Unlike the book that introduced him, Joe Leaphorn is much more of a focus this time around. The story is mostly told from his point of view. We still don’t see much of her personal life, something that is a staple of detective fiction today. It’s interesting to watch not just the series evolve but also how expectations of the genre were different back in the 70’s when this was written. We still haven’t met Jim Chee; he’ll enter the series in another couple of books.
I do find I miss seeing Leaphorn outside of work, but I still feel like I got to know him better as a character. Much of that came from his frustrations at dealing with some of the people he met along the way along with his passion to solve the case, especially as the danger mounts.
The book has a solid mystery. Sadly, an official description kind of spoiled part of it for me, but much of the suspense comes not from who done it, but can Leaphorn figure it out in time, so I was still on board. A part of the climax left me unsettled, but I think it was supposed to.
For those who shy away from children being in danger, know that the boys in this book are twelve and fourteen. You’ll have to judge for yourself where that line would be. The crimes in this book are rather brutal, too, although we don’t spend too long on the details.
I found the discussions of tribal customs a double-edged sword. Some of that was interesting and relevant to the plot. Other times, it seemed to go on too long, and I was wishing there were a faster way to get back to the story. I know, part of why this series is popular is the look into Navajo customs. It’s not enough to turn me off, but it is something I hope is more judicially used going forward.
I listened to the audio version narrated by George Guidall. As always, he’s a fine narrator who brings the story to life without inserting himself into it.
Dance Hall of the Dead takes us more firmly into the series, and fans old and new will find it entertaining.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries.
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